6-10 plan in flux

 English/Film/Theatre Curriculum Map (Grades 6–10) – Teacher-Facing

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Grade 6 – Foundations of Story, Poetry, and Rhetoric

Units (in order):

1. Introduction to Storytelling & Narrative Structures

Core Texts: Myths, Legends, Fables (Gilgamesh, Anansi, Hercules, Sunjata)

Alternates: Folk tales from diverse cultures

Focus: plot, character, cause-effect, narrative archetypes

2. Introduction to Poetry

Core Texts: Haiku

Alternates: Tanka (extension)

Focus: seasonal symbolism, metaphor, brevity

3. Rhetoric & Persuasion

Core Texts: Henry V excerpts

Focus: Ethos, Pathos, Logos, introductory analytical writing

4. Rousing Novel

Core: The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Alternates: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, The Tale of Despereaux

Focus: narrative engagement, imagination, theme

5. Avatar: The Last Airbender (S1)

Exemplars: Episodes “The Blue Spirit,” “The Siege of the North”

Focus: colonialism, Meiji restoration, Tibetan architecture, Buddhist cyclical time, Freudian power trio, Kung Fu styles, foreshadowing, Chekhov’s gun, symbolism, Daoist harmony, satire/parody, disability representation

6. Hero’s Journey – Comparative Film Analysis

Core: Mulan, Kung Fu Panda

Alternates: Moana, How to Train Your Dragon

Focus: Campbell archetypes, character arc comparison

Rationale: Students first develop literacy in story, poetry, and rhetorical techniques, then apply these skills in multimedia contexts. The final units allow synthesis and advanced analysis, preparing them for more complex work.

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Grade 7 – Comparative Storytelling, Imagist Poetry, and Advertising Foundations

Units (in order):

1. Short Stories & Allegory

Core: Canterbury Tales excerpts, Raymond’s Run, The Necklace

Alternates: Thank You, Ma’am (Bambara), The Lady, or the Tiger? (Frye)

2. Novel Study

Core: A Wrinkle in Time

Alternates: Coraline, The Breadwinner

3. Introduction to Visual Storytelling & Animation

Core: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Alternates: Big Hero 6, Zootopia

4. Poetry: Imagist Techniques

Focus on imagery, concision, and metaphor

5. Advertising & Media Awareness

Introduction to rhetorical appeals in print/video

Focus on audience and message

Rationale: Narrative, poetry, and media literacy are scaffolded to develop critical evaluation skills across text and visual media.

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Grade 8 – Hybrid Forms, Accessible Play, and Advertising

Units (in order):

1. Short Stories

Focus: theme, character, moral ambiguity

2. Novel & Graphic Novel Study

Core: I Kill Giants, When You Reach Me

Alternates: Nimona, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Book Thief

3. Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Focus: tragedy, dialogue, figurative language

4. Accessible Contemporary Play

Core: A Raisin in the Sun (Hansberry)

Alternates: Our Town (Wilder), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (adapted play)

5. Poetry: Ballads

Focus: narrative verse, oral performance

6. Anime Series: The Promised Neverland

Alternates: Erased, Anohana, Terror in Resonance

Focus: ethics, suspense, narrative tension

7. Advertising & Media Literacy

Focus: rhetorical techniques in print/video, persuasive messaging analysis

Rationale: Integrates hybrid literacy, visual rhetoric, and narrative performance. Advertising units reinforce analysis skills, preparing students for Grade 9 media evaluation.

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Grade 9 – Lyric Poetry, Film, and Framing Stories

Units (in order):

1. Novel Study

Core: Parable of the Sower (Butler)

Alternates: The Bone People, Americanah, White Tiger, The Marrow Thieves

2. Play Study (Heavier/Political)

Core: Information for Foreigners (Gambaro) OR Death and the Maiden (Dorfman)

Alternates: Translations (Friel), Waiting for Godot (Beckett)

3. Poetry: Lyric Forms

Focus: sonnets, villanelles, elegies, odes

4. Film/Anime Study

Core: Your Name (Shinkai)

Alternates: Mirai, Grave of the Fireflies, The Boy and the Beast

5. Media Literacy: Framing Stories & Persuasive Language

Focus: audience-targeted messaging, analysis of news, print, and video persuasion

Rationale: Combines complex literature, poetry, political theatre, and film analysis, integrating rhetoric for media literacy. Students synthesize textual and visual media insights for pre-IB preparation.

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Grade 10 (Pre-IB) – Protest, Media, and Global Voices

Units (in order):

1. Shakespeare: Macbeth

Focus: ambition, power, fate, rhetoric, stagecraft

2. Protest Poetry

Core: Hughes, Angelou, Shire, Darwish, Brooks, Lorde

Extensions: Neruda (“I Explain Some Things”), Szymborska (“The End and the Beginning”), Rankine (Citizen)

Focus: social justice, literary voice, global perspectives

3. Novel Study

Core: The Hate U Give (girls), Dear Martin (boys)

Alternates: Persepolis, Homegoing, Beloved, All American Boys, Clap When You Land, Monster

4. Rhetoric & Advertising: Advanced Media Studies

Analyze intersections of protest, media, and narrative

Students create persuasive campaigns

5. Comparative Adaptations: Film vs. Text

Persepolis (GN + film), Macbeth adaptations

6. News Literacy: Global Voices

Analyze same event through international sources

Focus on framing, perspective, and audience

Rationale: Synthesizes poetry, novels, plays, film, and media. Students apply rhetoric and advertising skills from Grades 6–10 to IB-level comparative, analytical, and creative work, with strong global awareness.

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